Directions

In the mixing bowl of an electric mixer, stir together 1/2 cup warm water, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/4 cup bread flour, and yeast. Let grow for about 5 minutes. It will bubble almost immediately.

Measure oats, 4 1/2 cups warm water, whole wheat flour, salt, 2/3 cup sugar, and 2/3 cup oil into the mixing bowl. Mix on low speed with a dough hook for 1 to 2 minutes. Increase speed slightly, and begin adding bread flour 1/2 to 1 cup at a time until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. Humidity determines how much flour you need before the bread pulls away from the edge of the bowl. It is normal for the dough to be sticky.

Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Most Helpful Positive Review

Jul 06, 2003

This recipe was rather easy for a bread recipe and made good bread. There was no way that we could eat 6 loaves of bread before they went bad so after I let the dough rise the first time and shaped the loaves I froze the dough. This was very easy, just once the loaves are shaped cover them in Saran Wrap before they are allowed to rise. Then freeze them in a ziplock bag. I've heard that you can keep the dough like this for up to 3 months, but I am really not sure. When you are ready for a fresh loaf just unwrap the dough and place it in the pan, cover and let rise. It will take several hours to thaw and rise, but it will. A very easy way to always have fresh homemafe bread!

I bake bread laboriously every week, sometimes twice a week, and this is the best recipe I've ever used. It makes great hamburger buns, too, and rolls and the recipe follows exactly like it is written. I didn't have quick oats, so I used some regular oats that I chopped up in the blender first. Also recently I omitted the oatmeal and added 1 cup of wheat germ and one cup of wheat bran and about 1/3 extra brown sugar and it's great, too. This recipe is the best. It's the recipe I've been hunting for. If you have trouble getting your loaves even, just roll the dough out in one long even roll and use a tape measure to measure it into equal pieces and cut it and then roll the pieces into loaves. You can also rise this dough in the oven by letting the temp. get to 150 and cracking the oven door while you cook and then put an oven mit on the rack, put the dough in a bowl on top of that, cut the oven off and leave it for an hour with the light on. Rise the loaves the same way cutting a long slit in the tops first and then when they're almost as high as you want, just turn your oven up to 350 and leave them there to bake for 30 minutes (cut 5 min. so the bottoms won't brown too much). Make sure you leave room at the top of the oven so the loaves don't hit the top.

Wow...this is amazing. AMAZING. I had never made bread before, and I didn't have a bread machine OR a large mixer...and it still turned out great! I kneaded the dough according to the instructions on this site, and I also followed another person's suggestion and used honey in place of the brown sugar. Perfection! It makes store-bought bread taste sickening. My husband and I finished off the first loaf in less than one day!

Just bit into my very first loaf of homemade bread. Whoa baby, that was good! My 11 year-old loved it too. And it only cost me $2.00 for the entire batch. I buy bulk, it's cheaper. Even the yeast. NOTE: 3(.25 oz dry active yeast)is equal to 1-1/2 TBSP of dry active yeast,if buying bulk. I froze the other 4 loaves (pre-baked) for later enjoyment. I melted some butter w/ fresh chopped bay leaves & used it to dip the bread in.

What an excellent all-purpose sandwich bread! It has such a lovely texture and delicate taste, no doubt from the oats and brown sugar.
I made the recipe as written but with the following two alterations:
2 cups old-fashioned (rolled) oats in place of the 2 cups quick-cooking oats
9.5 cups all-purpose unbleached flour + 0.5 cup vital wheat gluten in place of the 10 cups of bread flour
Also, I only baked one loaf today... after the first full rise, I shaped the dough into six loaves and stuck five into oiled ziploc freezer bags and put them into my deep freezer. I'll just pull them down as needed, let thaw and rise again, and then bake.
Thanks, J. Drury, for an excellent recipe--I will be making this often.

Great recipe. I made it without a mixer or any high tech gadgets, just some elbow grease, a bowl, and an oven. It's my first time ever trying to make bread, and I'm enjoying it now with my coffee! Great recipe.

This is perfect!I've been trying out several recipes for a good home made bread, and several times came out with a so-so result. But this one's the best so far.A real keeper. Had to cut down the recipe for 2 loaves and still came out good.Thanks a lot J. Drury!

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.